Observations & Thoughts

A space where I share raw observations & thoughts—authentically and without reservation. No filters, no AI—just honest reflections on my journey. Every word comes from me, shaped by my own experiences, challenges, and insights.

The joy of getting lost in time

I’ve genuinely missed times when I was loosing myself in endless coding sessions. I think this is something that indicates whether something I am working on matters to me. It is Saturday evening right now and I’ve been coding for the past 3 hours that seemed like 15 minutes and I am not exaggerating at all.

When I work on what matters

I had an awesome realization this morning. So amazing that I’ve decided to open up my notes to start writing this blog post immediately. The question is: How do you know that you are working on what matters? For me, it’s a burst of excitement that needs to be controlled so I can produce something meaningful.

First ever attempt to record myself

I picked the ideal time frame with sun shining over my head. The spot was perfect as well, where mountains were sitting nicely in my background on two thirds of the frame. I bought the best tools for recording that eliminated all potential friction with recording the first ever video for YouTube. But it didn’t go well. Let’s talk about this.

Is failing 5 projects in 2 years enough to succeed?

I keep telling myself this is fine given my relatively young age. Also, that this time without commitments is time for many self-guided endeavors as I am ambitious, somewhat skilled and completely in control of my life. Sometimes I would've wished it could be a smoother ride towards my desired goals. However, it is what it is and in this post, I explore what are fruits of my labor which are not necessarily financially-oriented gains.

Saying no to four thousand

4k of what? Yes, I am talking about money. Specific amount is not so important here and the only thing I wanted to express is that the amount is not negligible for most regular people like me. Four thousand dollars or euros would help, right? Let me tell you my personal story in which I said no to four thousand euros.

2024 in review

Let's write some more content in order to give the next generation of generative AI models more intelligence, shall we? Once again during this time of year, I am coming back with a continuation to my yearly review series. As a reminder, I address this to myself in order to reflect on the bigger picture of events that have happened in the recent year. With content like this, I aim at presenting my personal brand in the web space in an authentic way.

From idea to the App Store with Joex

Today, my iOS app was approved for distribution on the App Store, marking the official launch of my first native mobile app. Interestingly, the app (Joex) was completed on February 27th, yet it took me one month to develop and another six months to publish. In this article, I'll share the story behind that delay.

The 3 fruits of having a journaling routine

If anyone would ask me what are the main advantages of keeping a journal, I would say 3 words: gratitude, presence and focus. One could also say past, present and the future. Simply put, journaling helps me think of my life as is, without what ifs and what nots. Let me elaborate on these words a little.

Joex: Journal extension app

I wrote an article called Journaling extension back in the beginning of January which is about how I take my journal with me anywhere I go. Since then, I've learned to code in Swift UI and coded my own iOS app to make my journaling experience smoother. This article is about my reasons for writing my own app when there are thousands on the topic.

Journaling extension

I've been using Bujo as my personal productivity system since the beginning of 2023. I cannot express how impactful the journaling experience has been for me so far. Thanks to journaling, I live with more intention, authenticity and clarity. In this article, I want to share with you how I take my journal with me anywhere I go.

2023 in review

I had been busy with my Bujo yearly reflection for the past month or so. It took me 10 hours in total to complete. It is a summary of quartile summaries and a first attempt to approach a yearly review article in a more structured way. In front of me, there lays a list of highlights from 2023 - top wins and challenges in my life. Let’s take a deeper dive into the most significant events of the past year.

Expect updates

I've remained silent for a longer period of time this year. This was not planned. It usually goes like this when I overhype something in my head. Something I decide to do but am not committed enough towards. There are multiple reasons behind my failure to stay consistent with writing. Let me tease a couple of things that are currently in the making, which make it harder for me to focus on investing time into my personal digital garden.

Bujo method: Living with more intention

Bujo stands for Bullet Journal which is a method for bringing more intentionality into ones life by Ryder Carroll. Theare are alternatives such as more sophisticated personal productivity system called GTD (Gettings Things Done) created by David Allen. In this article, I state reasons why I am staying with Bujo for now although I think the two could be used in parallel.

Just take time off

Something is not working the way I initially envisioned. In case you don't follow me, in January 2023 I decided to get involved full-time in Sustainable UI. As it turns out, my body & mind have different priorities now which is why I have concluded it would be better for me to pause my work for now.

Entrepreneurial mindset in challenging times

Maybe you read my article 2022 in review. If not, I have summarized all significant events from the previous year that led me to eventually giving up on stable income and embark on my entrepreneurial journey with the ultimate goal of writing better software for the planet and humanity. In the following article, I am summarizing progress in 2023 so far regarding Sustainable UI open-source initiative and outlining several challenges I have encountered along the way till this day.

Energy momentum

I try hard to be mindful of who I follow on social media. That person really has to add value which I measure in a ratio of useful information per word. This read from Andy Bell about writing really emphasized that this evening and so here I am writing the following blog post.

2022 in review

Is it already too late to write a "year in review" type of a blog post in February? Definitely not! The end of 2022 was a hectic time for me so I deserved a proper time to relax. At the same time, January was transitional as I gave up on my full-time job in December to become a full-time volunteer in January. Interested in learning more? I would be happy to share my story with you.